Metro News & Reviews

Bus service changes and cuts

As many of you already know, the Board of Directors of Metro are scheduled to vote at their monthly meeting on Thursday on changes and cuts in the agency’s bus service.

The cuts amount to about four percent of Metro’s overall bus service. Among the cuts: five rapid lines (the 711, 714, 715, 750 and 753) would be discontinued entirely and replaced with enhanced local service.

Four percent is not a tiny number — but it is also far less dramatic than cuts made by other transit agencies around the U.S. during the ongoing economic downtown. Many of the cuts have been driven by a decline in ridership (and the revenues that go with that) and the loss of local and state funds support transit.

The service changes, if approved, would take effect in December. How were the cuts and changes made? Metro staff looked at current service and tried to cut down on bus service that was either redundant or being used by too few people.

Here is the staff report to the Board of Directors, which includes a discussion on the criteria used to judge which bus routes were cut or changed. The last four pages listing the cuts and changes in service are posted after the jump. For those wondering what is “tier 1” bus service, it’s Metro’s most heavily used bus and rail routes, which carry more than 10,000 riders on the average weekday and consist of the core of Metro’s service.

[…] Line 920 on cutting block. I’ve mentioned it here before. Dana Gabbard of LA Streetsblog gave tips to people if they wanted to organize to save Line 920, but perhaps another one of the 20 routes on the cutting block merited some more attention. […]

Instead of cutting 920, I have a suggestion… change the route slightly so it becomes the Purple line westside extension emulator.

Instead of current 920 route, the revamped 920 should take a detour to Century City (instead of staying on Wilshire all the way). This will accomplish two things:

1. Serve the eventual subway route in its entirety with one bus line. It will be a good promotional tour for the subway too.

2. Connect Century City with the Purple line with only one-seat bus ride. Right now, people working in Century City has to take at least 2 buses to get to Wilshire/Western. The 920 with a stop in Century City should be a great service and differentiate it enough from the 720.

This is how I would route the 920:
Westbound bus start at Wilshire/Western
Wilshire/Fairfax
Wilshire/LaCinega
Wilshire/Beverly
Wilshire/Santa Monica
[turn left at Santa Monica Blvd]
Santa Monica/Ave of The Stars
[turn right at Westwood Blvd]
Westwood/Santa Monica
Westwood/Lindbrook (Westwood Village)
[turn left at Kinross]
[turn right at Gayley]
[turn right at Le Conte]
End westbound service (bus can either continue eastbound service with a right turn on Westwood or continue on Le Conte to Hilgard terminal for layover)

The east bound bus will start at Westwood/Weyburn
[turn left at Santa Monica]
And follow the reverse of the westbound route back to Wilshire Western.

I have some more routes that should be eliminated in the San Fernando Valley. They include Metro Rapid Line 741, which runs from Northridge to Tarzana via Reseda Blvd.; Line 239, which runs between the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station and Encino along various streets, including Rinaldi St., Louise Avenue, Zelzah Avenue, Lindley Avenue and White Oak Avenue; and Line 169, which runs from Sunland to West Hills Monday through Friday and from Sunland to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank on weekends.